The old adage that all publicity was good publicity was true, she supposed, especially when it came to bloodshed in a vampire bar.
The upside for her was that the tips were great. The downside was that her best friend and fellow server had abandoned her to marry a vampire across the continent, which sucked out what little fun the job still possessed.
Without Dahlia, working in The Lush was an endless grind of abysmal dance music, grasping hands, spilled synth, and grueling late nights.
It was also a lot more dangerous. In theory, anyway.
Cecilia brushed a sweaty lock of hair away from her forehead with her gloved forearm. She had to be careful to keep her hands clean, which wasn’t easy on the best of nights. It was especially difficult when they were way past capacity and she had to dodge guests sloshing synth and regular alcohol every which way.
She offered the bartender a chipper grin when he plunked two warmed bottles on the bar in front of her. He looked as miserable as she felt, but there was no time to commiserate. Even if they could’ve heard each other over the thumping bass, it was her personal philosophy that a bright attitude could solve most of life’s problems.
Except, perhaps, the one she had with upper management.
Duke, the new sole owner of The Lush, watched her from his seat at the opposite end of the bar. Once, he’d been the handsome, aloof older brother of Devon, the vampire who ran the bar — terribly — but with his death, Duke had returned to San Francisco to take over.
And, according to rumor, to find out what happened to his brother. She didn’t know the man well enough to say whether he was motivated by sentimentality. With Duke it was hard to tell what mattered more: making money or solving his brother’s disappearance.
Either way, it was best to avoid him.
Dahlia had warned her that he might come sniffing around her old apartment, and since everyone knew they were best friends, there was a very real possibility he’d ask Cecilia questions. Dahlia made her swear to tell her if he made any threats or she felt unsafe. Of course, Cecilia promised she would.
She wouldn’t, obviously, but a white lie was a small price to pay to give Dahlia peace of mind.
Cecilia wasn’t scared of Duke. If she was, they’d have a bigger problem than any potential threats. Knowing her, she’d probably want to sleep with him.
She’d never told Dahlia that was the main reason she’d insisted they apply to work at the bar in the first place. They shared almost everything, but there were some things not even childhood best friends needed to know — like how Cecilia, notorious scaredy-cat, liked fear a little too much.
For a while, the thrill of working in a dangerous vampire bar had set her blood on fire. Five years in and now without her best friend, the shine had come off the proverbial apple in a major way.
Cecilia’s feet, pinched by the narrow toe and diabolical heel of the shoes all the female servers were forced to wear, screamed with discomfort as she made her final rounds for the night. She deposited warm bottles with a smile, demurred when a vampire casually asked how much a sip ofherwould cost, and did her best to skirt Duke’s seat at the bar without looking too obvious.
By the time her shift ended, she was sweaty and exhausted. Knowing how different the temperature was outside, she shrugged on her pale pink coat over her skimpy black dress and slung her bag over her shoulder. A long shower and a microwave dinner were in her future, and just about the only things that could motivate her to make the trek home.
Pausing by the back door, she checked her phone. A message from Dahlia lit up the screen. It was a picture of her brand new car, courtesy of her cousin Tomas. Blood red and way too fast for her best friend’s less than stellar driving skills, it was a sight to behold.
Needs a bumper sticker,she replied.Maybe ‘honk if you bite’?
Dahlia replied almost instantly.I was thinking ‘My husband is my passenger princess.’
Shouldering open the door, Cecilia snorted. San Francisco’s cool night air kissed her damp skin as she stepped into the dark alley behind the bar. She’d switched her heels out for a glittery pair of sneakers, which were essential when one never knew what was in the ever-present puddles and piles of detritus found there.
Good choice,she typed out.I’m sure Felix will enjoy that. Probably too much, actually.
Dahlia sent an evil-looking emoji before she asked,Are you headed home?
Just left the bar. Can’t wait for my feast of frozen mac n’ cheese. I might even get real wild and break out the fudge bar I’ve been saving.The squeaky hinges of the old door alerted her to someone else exiting, prompting her to begin walking as she typed.
Dahlia’s response popped up just as the sound of someone clearing their throat made her turn.
Duke stood in the dull glow cast by theemployee entrancesign above the door. Blond, ruggedly handsome, and dead-eyed, he watched her with a flat, calculating look that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
“Oh, hi,” she greeted, fingers flexing around her phone. “Did you need something?”
She doubted he was there to ask her about next weekend’s schedule, but a girl could hope.
Duke watched her for a moment, a muscle in his jaw twitching. “You headed home?”
It occurred to her that she ought to lie. The smart thing would be to say she was headed to her boyfriend’s house, or maybe to her second job. Letting him think she would be missedif she suddenly didn’t turn up was the best survival strategy when dealing with vampires on the hunt.
